True.
Electronic devices typically have a high failure rate early in life, and at the end of life, and a low failure rate in the middle. By buying a refurbished unit, you avoid the early failures and move right into the "sweet spot".
People may disagree, but in general, refurbished laptops are superior.
The reason is, the refurbished laptop has to checked four times and the component that failed has been replaced. Statistically, the likely hood that the laptop is going to suffer another component failure is lower than a new unit selected at random. (yes, there are exceptions, but they are few and far between. Like the root cause of the component failing was another component not replaced. Isn’t it great to have a warranty? )
Refurbished laptops include the full warranty and full support just like the new unit. If your refurbished laptop says these aren’t included, it isn’t refurbished.
Refurbished isn’t the same as a lease return, many sellers don’t clarify this, they just call them all refurbished.
Lets take an example:
New $986, Refurbished $786, Lease Return $280
Personally, Lease returns are good for me too, most are <2 years old and still have a good 3-5 years depending on the model of heavy use in them. Most failures on computers happen between new and 2 years and in excess of 5 years (used to be new and 90 days, thank the environmentalists for ROHs). At 2 years, the electronics have just been broken in.
For lease returns, things not to expect:
1. Operating System
2. Support
3. Warranty
4. Returns after 14 days
True.
Electronic devices typically have a high failure rate early in life, and at the end of life, and a low failure rate in the middle. By buying a refurbished unit, you avoid the early failures and move right into the "sweet spot".